The Blackland Blackbird Razor has landed!

First a quick note. This was a Kickstarter funded razor. The campaign was in August, and U.S. based backers have started receiving them today.

This razor is in production, and can be ordered from http://www.blacklandrazors.com/

The wood case and brush & razor stand were only available to Kickstarter backers. A small amount of brush stands are available for order on the website. As far as I know, when those are gone, they are gone.



Initial shave report:
It's a deceptively aggressive razor. I actually managed to cut myself with it in a careless moment. Against the grain over the Adam's apple.

@Darkbulb was spot on in his assessment of this feeling like a '5' on a Gillette Adjustable. It feels a lot like a red tip on the face, as far as blade feel goes. You can tell when you have the angle right, as there is an almost suction cup like sensation of the razor sticking to your face during the stroke. It isn't unpleasant or unmanageable, just very very different.

I'll enjoy dialing this razor in throughout the coming weeks...and this one is a keeper.

As I suspected, the short handle is a bit too short for comfort. It's going in the dopp bag to be used for traveling, but I'll give it a few runs first. I may end up preferring it over the long handle.

The brush and razor stand perfectly fit the New Forest 2001 and a Gillette Fatboy. Two items I always keep on my counter.


There was a cosmetic issue with the long handle, and Blackland is sending a replacement. A minor hiccup that slipped through the QC process.

The overall fit and finish is outstanding. Well done!

Thanks for the review. That's quite a presentation package and much more "luxurious" than I was expecting. I've had this one on my short list for a little while and since 5 is my typical setting on my Slim, it looks like I'll be giving this one a try in short order. I currently have 5 razors in transit so once those arrive and I work through them I'll probably pick this one up next.

Anyway, congrats on your new razor. It looks awesome!

-Mc

That is a nice looking razor. Glad to hear that it shaves as good as it looks. Enjoy.

Here's a closer look at the razors (Not my pictures).

Had my eye on this for a very long time. I've been waiting for the initial reviews from backers to come in before acting. So far, everything I've read has been promising.

I think your comparison to the Red Tip has me reaching for the trigger though....

Mine came today. I got the long handled black version. I did not order the extras such as the case and the stand etc. But even though I didnt get all that bling, the presentation was still quite nice, and I was pleased when I opened up the package and examined all the goodies. I did get the thank you card and the soap, but didnt add them to the photo.

I appreciate the warning about the razor being deceptively aggressive, as I usually prefer a mild shaver. I will be careful. But I did shave with my Slim on 7 yesterday just for fun, and didnt have any excess blood letting or irritation, so I should be fine. Thanks for the review, I will christen mine tomorrow morning...

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The aggressiveness is on par for say, a Gillette Red Tip. After a half dozen shaves, I've pretty much nailed down the correct angles and stuff. The perceived drag was being caused by using too much pressure. Once I lightened up on the pressure, the drag stopped.

I know, rookie mistake and all that. My only excuse is that this is my first stainless razor, and that caused me to misjudge the weight and pressure requirements.

I won't say that this is my new favorite razor...but I have a long handled black one on the way (like Pokémon, gotta collect them all), and my cousin ordered a two handled set for himself after trying mine.

I think it is very hard to NOT get the angle correct with this razor. The way the top cap is drastically angled which flows into the same angle on the base plate, it literally automatically aligns the razor to your face. It may be a learning curve to hold that angled edge to your face because most razors dont have that. But once you do, the alignment is perfect on every stroke.

I also agree its not yet my favorite new razor, but it may become that. I thought the RR Black Mamba was the shiz for about a month, and then it kind of fell to the back of the rotation these days. We will see if this Blackbird can keep my interest. But so far ... very good!

I thought it would be an occasional use razor for me, but it's turning out to be a favorite. I end up using it most days.

I only received mine on Friday but I think it may supplant my Weber as top dog.

I am very impressed with the fit and finish of the Blackbird. I chose the short handle in black, and while the handle is a bit shorter than my ATT Atlas, I have not had any issues with it. The grooves in the handle ensure a solid grip, and it is easy to maneuver.

As others have mentioned, I was initially surprised by the amount of blade feel on the face. My daily driver is the ATT S1, and the Blackbird feels much more aggressive. That said, in a solid week of use, I have had no issues with irritation or any nicks. The shaves have been incredibly close and comfortable. It won't displace the ATT, but has definitely earned a spot in regular rotation.

The razor provides a huge amount of audible feedback as well. You can almost hear each whisker being cut, even on a third pass.

Shane was great to deal with through the Kickstarter, and I think he has produced an excellent product. I would definitely recommend the razor.

Thanks for these incoming reports. Good looking piece of kit.

Lovely! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your razor!

Just bit the bullet and ordered a 70mm black oxide this evening.

Ron

So nice, I did it twice. (and my cousin ordered a set after trying mine).
This is my in-depth Blackbird analysis.


Some interesting things happen when someone with no experience making razors makes a production razor with very little outside influence or input.

One can wind up with a nice looking dud or a razor that pushes the boundaries of previous razor design.

The Blackbird is definitely the latter.
It stands conventional razor design on it's head. That is it's triumph, but also it's shortcoming. Some people do not understand how to use this razor. Some are finding their way instinctively, but others are struggling.

Conventional DE razors have a shave angle that follows the line between the lower part of the top cap, blade, and guard bar.

The Blackbird ignores convention. The shave angle follows the line between the top angle of the top cap, and the blade. This shave angle leaves the guard bar floating about a millimeter above the skin.

Experienced shavers can run into difficulty at first, because the instinctive reaction is to try to ride the angle between the top cap and guard bar.

When that happens, the razor drags, because of the amount of metal on your face, plus the blade feel is very prominent, and the guard will tend to poke and scrape. The razor will feel very aggressive.

If instead, you ride the top of the cap where the angle starts, the razor becomes a precision instrument limited only by your skill...and skill is required. There is no doubt about that. The correct angle is determined by you, not mechanically determined by a shave angle built into the razor.

That means that the Blackbird shares it's initials with it's cousin, the improbably named "Barbe Bleue BB Model X doubled-edge straight," a guardless razor that has been nicknamed by forumites, the "Devette"-a combination of the words DE and shavette.

Both razors offer a smooth and mild shave to those who master them. Riding the top part of the top cap's angle makes the Blackland Blackbird feel light on the face, with an almost non-existant blade feel. The result is an exceptionally close, smooth, and irritation free shave.


With the angle starting near the top of the top cap's angle, it is very much a slicing angle rather than a scraping angle. Indeed, the closer the guard gets to your face, the more the angle changes to a scraping angle.


With stainless razors, the problem isn't using the weight of the razor. The problem is how to keep the weight off of the face. I would say with this design, there isn't a great need to 'restrain' the weight, because you are in essence, floating the blade above the skin. You can actually use a fair amount of pressure using this technique.

As always, YMMV.

I was using my fingers to draw, so please excuse the somewhat shaky lines. I think this conveys the idea fairly well though.
The wide red bar is the contact area, and the thin line represents the shave angle.

Here's a more or less end on view of the angle.

Am really impressed by some of the razor photographers at this site !

I had my second shave with the Blackbird yesterday morning. The first was good but I was a little tentative. The second was much better: close, smooth and no irritation. I found the weight of the razor just fine and the reported sharpness of the handle seemed to be groundless in my version. Since I prefer shorter lengths I'm quite happy with the way the razor handles. It didn't take long to find the right angle and the blade was quite audible. I didn't find it to be aggressive (I think my only experience with a Futur will linger until I chance it again) and there were no problems with my three pass WTG, XTG and ATG. The shave was comfortable and, in my limited estimate, a DFS. One thing: the first time I used it I noticed a bit of black finish had rubbed onto my index finger. A little soap and water to the handle took care of that. I believe the Blackbird will find its way into my rotation.

Ron

Thanks for sharing this fine razor.